The public broadcaster, Raidió Teilifís Éireann, has offered a number of explanations for the soaring salaries it pays to its top broadcasters.
In an interview with The Harpy, RTÉ public relations manager, Stiofan MacSwiondal, outlined the pay agreement reached at the beginning of 2020. Stiofan, fixing himself in his chair, said “all of our broadcasters are paid a minimum of 100,000 euro a year and on top of that there are a number of bonuses available for the broadcasters who go above and beyond the call of public service”.
These bonuses include an additional 50 cent everytime a broadcaster makes a link between the IRA and Sinn Féin or manages to interrupt a TD on a key policy issue. €1 bonus was also offered for everytime a broadcaster looked visibly upset upon hearing the phrase “transfer left”.
The soaring salaries paid to the broadcasters did not come out of public funds because a number of private interests had agreed to cover the cost, amongst them Roman developments and Bank Of Ireland. RTE’s Stiofan MacSwiondal claimed that the bonuses were necessary to stop a mass exodus to Denise Ó Broin’s New Stalk where the bonuses are double.